You would think that an honest look at ourselves and at our condition would make us all humble. But there is something in our hearts that still rises up in self-focused, self-justifying, other-comparing pride.
If the "fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7) then just coming to the place where you recognize that "God is God and you are not" is the first step toward real knowledge. It is Knowledge 101. Fail this class and you fail all the rest.
There are at least ten reasons why we should be humble and approach life with a sense of reverence and awe.
1. I didn't give myself life.
What did I do to gain life? Absolutely nothing. It was given to me. All I can do is receive it and be thankful for it.
2. I am weak and limited.
As humans, we get tired, sick, and hurt easily. Even at maximum strength, the average human operates at about 1 horsepower and this power can only be sustained for a short amount of time in a short period of one's life. And though we like to think that we are smart, we only possess a minuscule fraction of all knowledge and, scientifically, we cannot even be sure what "consciousness" and "thoughts" even are.
3. Much of the functioning of my own body is outside of my control.
My heart is beating. My lungs are breathing. My cells are regenerating. My immune system is fighting off germs and infection. All outside of my direct control.
4. My own thoughts, emotions, and volition fight against my control.
I find myself at war with myself! Struggling against thoughts that could easily lead me astray, trying to understand my own emotions, fighting against my own will. Our biggest battle is often within ourselves and we often lose this unseen battle.
5. I am not in control of the hearts of others.
Yes, I can try to force or manipulate people to do what I want but, in the end, I can't control their thoughts, hearts, or will. Every parent wishes that they could guarantee that their kids will turn out well, but even the heart of one's own child is outside one's control.
6. I cannot control nature.
Even with all our technology, we stand utterly powerless and terrified before an F5 tornado. We can't stop a storm, hurricane, or earthquake. And right now, our planet is flying through space at 1000 miles per minute, spinning at 1000 miles per hour, and rotating around the sun in an orbit 580 million miles long with such exact precision that we can set our watches on it. Such power is unfathomable…and completely outside our control.
7. I cannot control the future.
I make choices that impact my future but I can't control all the circumstances around me that will shape and possibly change my future in a moment's notice. As we stand at the beginning of 2016, none of us are in control of all the events that will happen in this world by the end of this year.
8. All that I build and possess is temporary.
Nothing that I build will last. No possession that I hold onto right now will I be able to keep forever. As the rock band Kansas reminded us: Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea. All we do crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see. Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind.
9. My strength and my life pass quickly.
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away (James 4:14). Time may seem like forever when you are young but as you get older you realize how quickly it passes away…along with the strength to do the things that you once could do.
10. I am subject to death.
Whether we are rich, poor, young, old, strong, weak, educated, or clueless, we are still subject to death. No amount of money can buy immortality. No Ph.D. can solve death's riddle. No politican can abolish its power. We are mortal, fragile, and limited in time.
We have no reason to boast and every reason to be humble.
Come to grips with these realities and the Bible says that you are finally ready to listen, ready to learn, and ready to live.
